U.S. Wins Three Silver Medals Saturday at 2023 World Rowing Championships

The U.S. PR3 mixed four with coxswain, lightweight women's double sculls, and men's four won silver medals on Saturday at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. The U.S. has won five medals so far this week, with four more opportunities waiting on Sunday.

The men's four of Liam Corrigan (Old Lyme, Conn./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), Michael Grady (Pittsburgh, Pa./Cornell University/California Rowing Club), Nick Mead (Strafford, Pa./Princeton University/New York Athletic Club), and Justin Best (Kennett Square, Pa./Drexel University/California Rowing Club) won the silver medal on Saturday, finishing just two seconds behind Great Britain. The U.S. got off the line in first place before the British boat moved to the front in the second 500 meters. The Brits continued to inch away from the American boat over the third quarter of the race and held their position the rest of the way down the course. The U.S. pulled away from New Zealand in the third 500 meters to lock down the silver medal. Great Britain won the race in a 6:04.35, with the U.S. finishing in a 6:06.37. New Zealand finished third in a 6:08.44. The silver medal marked the first time the U.S. had reached the podium in the event since 2014 and the first U.S. open weight men's medal since 2017.

"We raced a pretty good race and can't be disappointed with that result," Grady said. "It's a good stepping-stone into next year. We thought we could be pretty close to the British, and I think we stuck to them mostly and then they started to slip away a bit. They are a really high-quality crew and hats off to them."

"All those crews are very good," Corrigan said. "You have the Olympic champion, you have Olympic gold medalists in the New Zealand four, some great rowers. We've worked hard for a while now, and it's good to have a better result for the U.S. Keep working. Obviously, Paris is the final goal, but it's a good start."

The PR3 four with coxswain of Emelie Eldracher (Andover, Mass./Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Ben Washburne (Madison, Conn./Williams College), Alex Flynn (Wilmington, Mass./Tufts University), Saige Harper (Easthampton, Mass./Sacred Heart University), and Skylar Dahl (Minneapolis, Minn./University of Virginia) won the silver medal behind Great Britain. The American boat took the lead in the first quarter of the race before the British boat moved into first during the second 500 meters. With the British at the head of the field, the U.S. pulled away from Germany in the third 500 meters to solidify the silver medal. Great Britain won the gold medal in a 7:22.20, with the U.S. taking silver in a 7:25.01. Germany won bronze in a 7:29.74. Great Britain won their 13th Paralympic/world title in a row, while the U.S. won its eighth silver medal in the last nine.

"Nothing prepares you for the honor that this is," Eldracher said. "It's just a great honor to be out here with such fast crews, and we're so grateful for such a good race. We went out and executed the plan that we had created as a boat with our fabulous coach, and we just tried to do what we had been training for. We're just grateful for such a fast group of athletes. The faster we go as a boat class, the faster we're all going to get."

The lightweight women's double sculls crew of Mary Jones Nabel (Huntsville, Ala./University of Tennessee/Cambridge Boat Club) and Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif./University of Tulsa/Cambridge Boat Club) took home the silver medal behind Great Britain's Imogen Grant and Emily Craig. While Great Britain took the lead off the start, the U.S. got off the line in sixth position before working its way through the rest of the field. The Americans had moved into fourth position, just behind China and Romania, by the 1,000-meter mark, and then powered into second during the third quarter of the race. Romania's Ionela Cozmiuc and Mariana-Laura Dumitru made a move to try to catch the U.S. for second, but Jones Nabel and Sechser were able to keep them at a comfortable distance to claim the silver medal. Grant and Craig won the race in a 7:19.23, with Jones Nabel and Sechser finishing in a 7:22.89. Romania won bronze in a 7:23.70. The second-place finish gave Sechser back-to-back silver medals in the event.

"It really is a dream come true," Sechser said. "Goal number one was getting the boat qualified, so we can keep the Paris dream alive and well. Mary and I are both so experienced and have so many years of national team experience, but it is still so new. This is our first lightweight race coming together, and I just loved every second of it. The way we visualized it … through the way Mary did an incredible job of executing the plan. Honestly, I was a little surprised to see our position early on, but I just put my head down and told Mary, 'Don't look, just repeat.' She was driving this great rhythm. It didn't need more; it didn't need anything."

"It's been a long time since I've raced the lightweight double. My last race was in 2018, and it's been a lot just to get back in the boat," Jones Nabel said. "I couldn't have asked for a better finish to that journey than to be here with Michelle and end up on the podium. It's a really amazing moment right now."

In the women's four, Claire Collins (McLean, Va./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Madeleine Wanamaker (Neenah, Wis./University of Wisconsin/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Kelsey Reelick (Brookfield, Conn./Princeton University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), and Molly Bruggeman (Dayton, Ohio/University of Notre Dame/USRowing Training Center-Princeton) finished fourth. The crew got off the line in fifth position and had moved into fourth at the 1,000-meter mark, but the U.S. was unable to stay with Romania in the third 500 meters. The Netherlands chased down Great Britain during the back half of the race to win gold in a 6:41.82, with Romania also overtaking the British boat to earn a silver medal in a 6:43.29. Great Britain held on for bronze, crossing the line in a 6:44.31. The U.S. clocked a 6:47.39.

In the men's pair, Evan Olson (Bothell, Wash./University of Washington/Seattle Scullers/Penn AC) and William Bender (Norwich, Vt./Dartmouth College) finished fifth in the final. The U.S. got off the line in fifth before dropping to sixth at the midway point. The U.S. passed South Africa over the back half of the race to move back into fifth position but couldn't get back in the medal hunt. Ireland's Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan got off to the early lead and still held the top spot ahead of Switzerland and Great Britain as the crews reached the 1,000-meter mark. Switzerland's Andrin Gulich and Roman Roeoesli pulled into the lead in the third quarter of the race and held that spot the rest of the way down the course, winning in a time of 6:51.09. Great Britain's Tom George and Oliver Wynne-Griffith took the silver medal in a 6:53.46, with Ireland holding on for bronze in a 6:54.22. The U.S. clocked a 7:02.98.

Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y./Ithaca College/California Rowing Club) and Alie Rusher (West Bend, Wis./Stanford University/California Rowing Club) finished sixth in the final. Musnicki and Rusher got off to a solid start, sitting in third and a medal position 500 meters into the race. Australia's Annabelle McIntyre and Jessica Morrison took the early lead ahead of The Netherlands' Veronique Meester and Ymkje Clevering. However, the Dutch boat used a blistering second 500 to take command of the race at the midway point. Romania also made a strong move in the second quarter to move past the Americans into third position. The three lead crews then rowed away from the rest of the field in the third 500 meters, securing their medals. Meester and Clevering crossed the line first in a 7:20.52 to claim the gold medal, with McIntyre and Morrison taking second in a 7:22.90. Romania's Roxana Anghel and Ioana Vrinceanu finished third in a 7:24.33. Musnicki and Rusher crossed the line sixth in a 7:34.39.

The U.S. had four boats racing in placement finals Saturday. The men's quadruple sculls crew of Dominique Williams (Madison, Conn./University of Pennsylvania/Vesper Boat Club), Will Legenzowski (Vista, N.Y./Brown University/California Rowing Club), Liam Galloway (Ridgefield, Conn./Yale University), and Kevin Cardno (Huntsville, Ala./University of Alabama, Huntsville/Texas Rowing Center) finished third in the B final to take ninth place overall. With just one Olympic qualification spot on the line in the B final, Ukraine took the early lead, with Australia just behind and the rest of the field all within a length of the leaders. Ukraine continued to hold a slight lead at the halfway point as Romania pulled up almost even, just ahead of Australia. Romania used a strong third 500 meters to power away from the field, taking more than a 2.5-second lead over Ukraine with 500 meters to go. The Romanians continued to increase their margin in the sprint, winning the race by 3.55 seconds over Estonia. Romania finished with a time of 5:49.89 to earn the victory. The U.S. finished with a time of 5:54.78.

The PR2 mixed double sculls crew of Russell Gernaat (Redwood City, Calif./Lake Casitas Rowing Club) and Madison Eberhard (Buffalo, N.Y./West Side Rowing Club) finished fourth in the B final for a 10th-place finish overall. Gernaat and Eberhard dropped back to fourth during the first quarter of the race and sat there the rest of the way down the course. Israel's Saleh Shanin and Shahar Milfelder took the lead in the second 500 meters and rowed at the head of the field for the remainder of the race. France's Stephane Tardieu and Perle Bouge led early before dropping to second. Israel won the race in an 8:25.18. The U.S. finished with a time of 8:48.02.

The women's quadruple sculls crew of Emily Kallfelz (Jamestown, R.I./Princeton University/Cambridge Boat Club), Grace Joyce (Northfield, Ill./University of Wisconsin/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Molly Reckford (Short Hills, N.J./Dartmouth College/Sarasota Crew), and Lauren O'Connor (Belleville, Wis./University of Wisconsin/ARION) finished fifth in the B final for an 11th-place finish overall. With only one Olympic qualification spot up for grabs in the B final, Canada took the early lead ahead of Germany and Ukraine, with the U.S. dropping to sixth. The Germans used a strong second quarter of the race to take a half-length lead on Canada at the midway point. Germany continued to increase its advantage in the third 500 meters, with Canada falling behind Ukraine and Italy and the U.S. moving up to fifth. At the line, it was Germany winning the race by 2.62 seconds over Ukraine, clocking a 6:27.26 to earn a spot in Paris. The U.S. finished fifth with a time of 6:33.41.

The lightweight men's double sculls duo of Jimmy McCullough (Philadelphia, Pa./University of Delaware/Texas Rowing Center) and Zachary Heese (Pelham, N.Y./University of Virginia/Texas Rowing Center) won the D final to finish 19th overall. McCullough and Heese took the lead over Austria's Paul Ruttmann and Julian Schoeberl in the opening 500 meters and methodically pulled away over the rest of the course, winning by more than five seconds. McCullough and Heese clocked a 6:20.66, with Austria taking second in a 6:26.27.

The U.S. will have four boats racing for medals on Sunday, with Olympic qualification on the line in the two eights.

In the women's double sculls, Sophia Vitas (Franklin, Wis./University of Wisconsin/Texas Rowing Center) and Kristi Wagner (Weston, Mass./Yale University/ARION) held off a late charge from Ireland to win Friday's second semifinal to advance to the final and qualify the boat for Paris. Vitas and Wagner will take on Ireland, France, Romania, Lithuania, and New Zealand in the final. Romania's Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis, the reigning Olympic and world champions, won the other semifinal.

The women's eight of coxswain Cristina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Washington), Charlotte Buck (Nyack, N.Y./Columbia University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Mary Mazzio-Manson (Wellesley, Mass./Yale University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Brooke Mooney (Keene Valley, N.Y./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Alina Hagstrom (Seattle, Wash./Oregon State University/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Regina Salmons (Methuen, Mass./University of Pennsylvania/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Jessica Thoennes (Highlands Ranch, Colo./University of Washington/USRowing Training Center-Princeton), Margaret Hedeman (Concord, Mass./Yale University), and Emily Froehlich (Fishers, Ind./University of Texas/Craftsbury Green Racing Project) won the first of two heats on Tuesday to advance directly to Sunday's final. The U.S. will take on Romania, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, and Italy in the final, with the top five finishers earning Paris 2024 Olympic qualification spots. Romania won the second heat.

Kara Kohler (Clayton, Calif./University of California, Berkeley/Texas Rowing Center) rowed through Australia's Tara Rigney in the final 500 meters to win Friday's second semifinal of the women's single sculls to advance to the final and secure a spot for the U.S. at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Kohler, the 2019 World Rowing Championships' bronze medalist in the event, will take on Rigney, as well as scullers from Lithuania, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Bulgaria in the final. Dutch sculler Karolien Florijn won the first semifinal.

The U.S. men's eight of coxswain Jimmy Catalano (Greenwich Conn./University of Wisconsin), Pieter Quinton (Portland, Ore./Harvard University/California Rowing Club), Ezra Carlson (Eureka, Calif./University of Washington/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Alexander Hedge (Morristown, N.J./Columbia University/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Chris Carlson (Bedford, N.H./University of Washington/California Rowing Club), Peter Chatain (Winnetka, Ill./Stanford University), Oliver Bub (Westport, Conn./Dartmouth College/California Rowing Club), Clark Dean (Sarasota, Fla./Harvard University), and Henry Hollingsworth (Dover, Mass./Brown University/California Rowing Club) finished second in its heat to advance to Sunday's final. The Americans will take on Australia, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, and Romania in the final, with the top five finishers securing Olympic qualification. Great Britain and Australia won the two heats.

The U.S. will have three boats racing in placement finals on Sunday.

PR1 men's single sculler Andrew Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y./Stanford University/West Side Rowing Club) dominated the second C/D semifinal on Thursday and will race in Sunday's C final for overall places 13-18. Mangan will take on scullers representing Kazakhstan, Hungary, Tunisia, South Africa, and Individual Neutral Athletes in the C final.

In the men's double sculls, Ben Davison (Inverness, Fla./University of Washington/California Rowing Club) and Sorin Koszyk (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Cornell University/California Rowing Club) won the second C/D semifinal to advance to the C finals for overall places 13-18. Davison and Koszyk will take on Sweden, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, and Czech Republic in the C final.

Men's single sculler Eliot Putnam (Littleton, Mass./Cornell University/New York Athletic Club) finished fifth in the second C/D semifinal and will race in Sunday's D final for overall places 19-23. Putnam will face scullers from Uruguay, Spain, Sweden, and Canada in the D final.

In total, the U.S. has 22 boats competing this week in Belgrade. In addition to world championships being on the line, the regatta is the first opportunity for countries to qualify boats for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Racing concludes on Sunday with the remaining finals. Nearly 1,000 athletes from 74 delegations are racing in Belgrade. Italy has entered the most boats with 24, followed by Germany with 23.

The live race tracker will be available for all races on www.worldrowing.com. Live video streaming will be available on the World Rowing website for all eight days of competition (local restrictions apply). Video streaming will start five minutes before the first race.

Click here for USRowing's daily coverage of the 2023 World Rowing Championships. Click here for USRowing's photo galleries. Click here for the official schedule, heat sheets, and results on worldrowing.com. Follow along with the U.S. National Team at the 2023 World Rowing Championships by using the hashtags #WorldRowingChamps and #WRCHBelgrade.

USRowing would like to thank Filippi Lido, the Official Boat Supplier for the U.S. Senior, Under 23, and Para Rowing National Teams. Under the agreement, Filippi is providing USRowing a fleet of boats for international competitions including the World Rowing Cup regattas, World Rowing Under 23 Championships, World Rowing Championships, Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, as well as a domestic training fleet for the USRowing Training Centers.